The Playground Again
by RonsGirlFriday
Summary: "What is it that will bring peace to your soul?" "I think…" he drew a long breath, "…I think I would like nothing more than to look at you forever." She smiled. "Will you come with me, then?" She grabbed his hand again. "Where?" "On." (A 2009 fic migrated from my HPFF account.)


_"The green eyes found the black, but after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more."_

_-HP and the Deathly Hallows, chapter 32_

* * *

He opened his eyes and had an intuition that he had been here before. He was lying on the ground, staring up at a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. He could smell the grass that tickled his hands and neck. Off in the distance, he heard a high-pitched creaking.

Turning his head in the direction of the sound, he saw that it came from a children's swing set, the pair of swings swaying with the breeze. But at the same time he saw this, he pushed it to the back of his mind and focused on the sight of the young woman with long red hair seemingly gliding towards him.

She looked to be around twenty. She was pale and beautiful. And she had arresting green eyes.

It was impossible.

He got to his feet and stared as she moved closer. He could scarcely put his thoughts into words. If nothing else, this would have made it clear that he was dead. Because this was surely an angel, and it was a face he knew he would never see again in life.

He was vaguely aware that he had harbored feelings of bitterness and hatred in his life. But now he felt, all at once, joy and sorrow, jubilation and shame.

The angel took both of his hands in hers. Then she spoke, smiling.

"You are a brave man, Severus."

"Lily…" was all he could manage to say. He turned his face, averting his eyes from the source of the praise he did not deserve.

She took his face in her cool hands and gently turned it back to hers.

"Thank you," she said, her smile still radiant, "for watching over my boy." She gazed at him intently.

He shook his head. "I have betrayed you in the worst ways possible," he said in a cracked voice. "I'm sorry, Lily."

"Let the past be past. What's important is the person you have become."

"Undeserving."

"Not true. I am so proud of you, and so grateful."

With great difficulty, he wrenched his eyes away from her face a second time to take in their surroundings. He thought he could hear the faint laughter of a small red-haired girl and dark-haired boy coming from the trees lining one edge of the playground.

"Why are we here?"

"I'm here to bring you home. Will you come with me?"

He felt a twinge of something – was it hope?

A thought occurred to him.

"And Potter?" was all he could ask in his confusion. Some of the old bitterness seeped back into his consciousness.

"This is about _your_ heart's joy, Sev," she replied simply.

He gazed silently back, not entirely understanding.

The angel's smile faded, and her brow crinkled in concern.

"What is it that will bring peace to your soul?"

"I think…" he drew a long breath, "…I think I would like nothing more than to look at you forever."

She smiled. "Will you come with me, then?" She grabbed his hand again.

"Where?"

"On."

He hesitated. "I have…so many regrets."

"Leave them here, Severus," she implored him. "You have no unfinished business. You have nothing to fear in this life, I promise you."

He nodded, and with a squeeze of his hand, he said everything else that had been left unsaid. And the man who had always feared death finally believed: that death really might be the next great adventure.

* * *

_(A/N: 2009 fic migrated from my HPFF account. This was my very first work of HP fanfiction. It's not perfect, but it holds a special place in my heart. It is, admittedly, a very naive and idealistic portrayal of this "ship" (I put it in quotes because...they're not really). It is intentionally so because it is 100% from Snape's perspective and depicts his own personal vision of heaven, if you will. I explore a darker side in my other Snape/Lily one-shot "Chimera." Thanks for reading!)_


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